New tools are helping - but more needs to be done December 2016 is seared into the memory of people who live or work with people from the Downtown Eastside, the epicentre of B.C.'s opioid overdose crisis. "People were going down in alleyways," Karen Ward remembers. "It was a year ago that nine people died in one weekend. "I remember the night when three people died in my building." "BC Ambulance had its busiest day in history, St. Paul's hospital was fully blocked up and we were seeing the highest rates of overdoses that we had seen in the emergency room and at Insite," Dr. Mark Lysyshyn recalls. [continues 605 words]
Marijuana could be a profitable addition to the crops grown in Central Saanich, but a proposal for a huge operation raises a recurring question about the way we use agricultural land. Why bury perfectly good, scarce agricultural land under greenhouses, which could be built just about anywhere? Shawn Galbraith proposes to build a 150,000-square foot, $25-million greenhouse on the Stanhope Dairy Farm, near the point where Lochside Drive turns into the Lochside Trail. He plans a five-to seven-year project with 21 greenhouses on 36 acres. [continues 525 words]
Dear editor: It was shocking to read that a parent and her nine-year-old child had to take on the drug-needle problem in our school grounds (Western News, Dec. 12). That secret Queen's Park shed should never have been secret in the first place. What with such a fuss being made about possible marijuana shops anywhere within sight of schools, how can discarded needles go on being all over the place, right at those schools? Wendy Hyer, school district superintendent, seems not to realize what her priorities should be, and therefore what we are paying her for. [continues 67 words]
Province releases first decisions on cannabis regulation after public engagement After receiving input from 48,951 British Columbians and submissions from 141 local and Indigenous governments and other interested stakeholders, the provincial government made some decisions on the anticipated legalization of non-medical cannabis in July 2018. On Dec. 5, the NDP government announced the following policy decisions: Minimum age The Province will set the minimum age to possess, purchase and consume cannabis at 19 years old. A minimum age of 19 is consistent with B.C.'s minimum age for alcohol and tobacco and with the age of majority in B.C. [continues 671 words]
Concerns still abound as cannabis legalization planned for this summer fast approaches A Squamish cannabis retailer thinks the province's recent announcement around the sale of marijuana is a step in the right direction but says there are still many unanswered questions. "I'm excited, but there is still not much that's changed since the announcement," says Bryan Raiser, owner of 99 North Dispensary. The federal government has said marijuana will be legalized by July 1 of next year but handed it over to the provinces to determine how to manage the details. [continues 602 words]
Nearly 7,000 life-saving naloxone kits have been used by harm reduction staff in B.C. so far this year and thousands more kits will be distributed by pharmacies to battle the effects of a contaminated drug supply. "That means you can get a kit at no charge if you use opioids or you are likely to witness an overdose," said Mental Health and Addictions Minister Judy Darcy. "Already, 1,900 kits have been distributed to over 200 pharmacies around the province." [continues 606 words]
Overdose Crisis: Thousands more kits to be distributed this year through pharmacies Nearly 7,000 life-saving naloxone kits have been used by harm reduction staff in B.C. so far this year and thousands more kits will be distributed by pharmacies to battle the effects of a contaminated drug supply. "That means you can get a kit at no charge if you use opioids or you are likely to witness an overdose," said Mental Health and Addictions Minister Judy Darcy. "Already, 1,900 kits have been distributed to over 200 pharmacies around the province." [continues 609 words]
Life-saving drug now accessible after web tutorial People can now learn how to administer Naloxone, the antidote to opioid overdose, by watching a five-minute video online. St. Paul's emergency medical team led the project and launched the online tutorial this month to help more people access the life-saving drug. At the end of the tutorial, participants receive a certificate they can show at a nearby pharmacy, or any Naloxone dispensing site, to receive a free kit. Previously, people who wanted Naloxone would have to attend a training workshop before receiving a kit. [continues 189 words]
As a former Toronto police chief, Liberal MP Bill Blair said he understands how the federal government's legislation legalizing marijuana consumption for recreational use affects municipalities. Blair, Ottawa's point person on the pot file, was in the Tri-Cities this week, meeting with mayors and councillors, he said, to ensure cities have the tools and information ahead of the regulation changes coming next summer. "I recognize the important roles that mayors, councillors and local police officers have to make this thing work," he said in an interview Monday with The Tri-City News at Port Coquitlam city hall. "They have a big job to do here and we want to make sure they have the support they need that is required at the local level in order to make sure that this works in this community." [continues 345 words]
Complaints about marijuana dispensaries have increased each year since the City of Vancouver implemented a licensing regimen in 2015. But even after three years of consecutive growth, the number remains relatively small. In 2015, there were 30 complaints, according to data supplied by the city. Then 84 in 2016 and 112 in 2017 (up to December 6). For comparison's sake, so far in 2017 the city has received 348 complaints about other business categories (excluding illegal housing suites and short-term rentals like those on Airbnb). Meanwhile, this year there have been 5,529 complaints about potholes and 7,734 about streetlight outages. [continues 366 words]
Marijuana smokers in British Columbia might have to abide by the same public smoking rules as tobacco users when cannabis becomes legal, Premier John Horgan said Tuesday. Horgan said his government is still formulating its marijuana policy, but might follow the same provincial smoking laws and community-clean air bylaws that prohibit smoking near buildings or public spaces. "Cigarette smokers can no longer smoke in public places," Horgan said in an interview. "I think that may well be how we have to proceed with cannabis. We'll make a decision in the new year." [continues 290 words]
The B.C. government says revenue from legalized marijuana isn't going to create the financial windfall many expected once the province's thriving but illicit industry moves out of the shadows and is taxed like tobacco. On Tuesday, Finance Minister Carole James cautioned against expectations. "There will be revenue coming in after the first couple of years, but I don't see it as a big money-maker for British Columbia," James said at an editorial board meeting with The Vancouver Sun and The Province. [continues 444 words]
Re: Legalization of marijuana As the countdown continues to July, 2018 and the legalization of marijuana in Canada my concern for the future is not being addressed. A popular method of raising money today appears to be suing current governments for perceived past wrongs committed by previous governments. The door this opens, for the countless numbers that have been prosecuted for pot infractions over the years, to sue federal and provincial governments could bankrupt this nation. Would it be possible or practical to include some form of "notwithstanding" clause in the laws currently being written for enactment that would preclude this scenario? [continues 80 words]
More than 1,208 people have died from illicit drug overdoses in B.C. this year, the coroners service reported Monday. Victoria and Vancouver Island continue to be in the top townships and health areas for overdose deaths. The latest death toll in the overdose crisis includes statistics to the end of October 2017. November and December numbers will not be released until the new year. "These numbers show that this is still something on the rise," said Andy Watson of the B.C. Coroners Service. "We're cautiously optimistic [now] that we've seen two months with under 100 deaths, but November and December were the peaks of last year." [continues 431 words]
Marijuana is a social evil. Legalizing it will encourage naive people to use it. That, in turn, increases the number of potheads and the long list of problems they create. The government should hold a referendum on marijuana so people of sense can confirm the need for penalties. It isn't harmless. Regardless what the government does, don't be a dope. Don't use dope. John Cleghorn, Sechelt [end]
B.C.'s NDP government is right to get ahead of the curve and establish a framework for distributing and regulating recreational cannabis in advance of the federal government legalizing it next July. But the plan still has some shortcomings that should be addressed before we legally light up our sativa and enjoy what one vendor described as its spicy, earthy flavours. B.C. intends to make marijuana available at public and private retail outlets, supplied exclusively by the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch. The government has determined that people age 19 and over will be allowed to buy it. [continues 341 words]
A funeral home in Aldergrove decided they needed to do something after seeing so many heartbroken families lose loved ones to a drug overdose. The funeral directors have put together an awareness and prevention campaign that does aim to shock people about how deadly drugs are. In an unusual move, the BC Coroner's Office has come out against Alternative Funeral and Cremation Service's awareness campaign, saying scare tactics don't work, they only further stigmatize drug users. While it's true the D.A.R.E. program and Just Say No hasn't been successful in deterring youth from trying hard drugs, it likely did impact a few kids here and there. And at this point in this fentanyl epidemic - reaching anyone is better than doing nothing. It isn't costing taxpayers anything. [continues 180 words]
Coming soon marijuana, a magical weed that feeds and gives the brain a high, Say goodbye, to yesterday's fix in the coffee shop, a journey awaits that can put you over the top. Grow your own weed a thing called pot. Roll a joint, you'll like it a lot. Let's light up the world and create more smoke, then pray that Mother Nature doesn't choke. Booze and guns were given a shot but failed to get it done, where smoke from pot may block light from a blazing sun. [continues 72 words]
Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit said more information should come in the spring Though the Province of B.C. has unveiled part of their distribution model for legal cannabis, Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit said more information is needed before city hall can start generating ideas about how to deal with the changes. "In spring, we will start going out to get information to better gauge, with the community and stakeholders, to help determine how many do we want, how many is enough and what should we be putting in our own regulations to deal with the zoning and placement of dispensaries when they become legalized later in the year," said Jakubeit. "We need to, in early spring, start addressing it and by that time the province should be unveiling more information to help us formulate a plan." [continues 201 words]
Legal doesn't mean light up whenever you want Ever since, and probably long before, the federal Liberals started the process to legalize marijuana, some people have been equating legalization with deregulation. That was never in the cards. Saying 'But it's legal now, mannnnnnn,' after blowing smoke in a cop's face isn't going to carry much weight as he confiscates your joint or outfits you with a pair of pretty silver bracelets. The announcement this week that B.C.'s Liquor Distribution branch will have responsibility for distribution of non-medical marijuana shouldn't have come as a surprise, though it seems it did for many. [continues 219 words]
Inside British Columbia
